| Battle of Kosmidion | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theOttoman Interregnum | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Forces ofSüleyman Çelebi | Forces ofMusa Çelebi | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Süleyman Çelebi Vuk Lazarević | Musa Çelebi Stefan Lazarević | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Heavy | Heavy | ||||||
TheBattle of Kosmidion (Turkish:Eyüp Muharebesi) occurred on 15 June 1410, during theOttoman Interregnum, and was fought between the forces of the rival brothers,Musa Çelebi andSüleyman Çelebi, atKosmidion (modernEyüp) just outside theland walls ofConstantinople.
The Byzantine emperorManuel II Palaiologos was allied with Süleyman, whose army was encamped inside Constantinople.[1] Manuel also prepared ships to help evacuate Süleyman's army in case of a defeat, but Musa managed to set them on fire before the battle began.[1]
The battle was a victory for Süleyman Çelebi, chiefly due to the defection of many ofMusa's vassals, who had previously served Süleyman.[2] Among the defectors wasVuk Lazarević, the brothers' half-uncle.Laonikos Chalkokondyles claims that Vuk's brotherStefan also defected due to the pressure of Süleyman's ally, the Byzantine emperorManuel II Palaiologos, but the chroniclerConstantine of Kostenets reports that he fought alongside Musa in the battle, only to seek refuge with Palaiologos after the battle was lost.[1] The battle initially went well for Musa, with Süleyman's army suffering heavy losses, until Süleyman with a few hundred men attacked Musa's camp.[3] Both sides suffered heavy losses in the fighting.[4]
After the battle, Musa retreated to the area aroundYambol andChernomen inBulgaria, while Süleyman recaptured the Ottoman capital ofEdirne.[4] One of his lieutenants, Aliaz, was able to capture Vuk Lazarević atPlovdiv. Musa had Vuk executed for his betrayal.[5]